Backyard Update

Here are the pictures of my backyard!!!

 My zinnias are about to bloom!!!!!!

 My rosemary plant probably doesn't like playing peekaboo with the sun, so I'm probably going to have to relocate it. Who would have thought those squash plants would grow so huge???

 HUGE cucumber! it's probably over 1 foot long!!!

 tomato plants loaded with tomatoes for the birds unless I figure out a way to protect them soon.

 HUGE squash! My foot looks tiny up next to them! They are almost waist high!

 clockwise from top: watermelon, cantaloupe, watermelon, cantaloupe. I'm not sure why the 2 along the border are so stunted... They are getting water. maybe it was the grass in them???

 I planted 2 rows of potatoes yesterday (pictured in the front- they haven't come up yet obviously) You can see the burned scar from fire on my bricks along the outside edge of my garden.

 and eventually when I feel ambitious enough, I'm going to tear up all the bricks I've already laid out, and redo a cute "patio/ walkway" continuing into my garden with all these other bricks.

So, that's my backyard, and my garden. And my plans.

Hope you have a good day!
Trisha

ACK!!!!

After I asked my husband to help me pull the grass out from my garden,

HE DID THIS:

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was racing to pull all of my cute cantaloupe and watermelon vines out of the way and pull the dead grass real fast around them so it wouldn't spread to them and burn them.

 Whew! I saved them! I'm just lucky (but not lucky) that the grass was still mostly green and alive in my garden!

I decided too late to take a video so you can't see it race real fast along the border till it got to the moister grass near the end where I took a video of it. I was too busy anyway trying to save the plants. But you get the idea and you can see the black trail.

I had a fun day today. We went on a bunch of errands, and then went to the Desert Sky Mall. Then we went out for a 4:00 Supper, to Saver's, and then came home and did yard work.

I can't wait till tomorrow to take pictures of my beautiful backyard!!! It's too dark now. The sun decided to go down while we were finishing. I planted my pineapple plants! They're no longer sitting in a row on the counter in water. now they're just on the counter in pots trying to be happy enough to survive the shock of trying to survive in water so long.

 I'm babysitting my mother in law's plant we gave her for her birthday while she's on vacation. Hers is the red one. mine is the yellow.

 Look what I got at Saver's! I'm thinking I may attempt to make a dress... and check out the bracelet kit I found for just $3.99! It seems to have all the pieces too! Maybe someone made 1 bracelet, gave up and got rid of it. Either way, lucky me!!!

 I just absolutely love how this dog uses the door step for a bench/bed... I also love it when he backs up to it and sits on it with all his feet on the patio. I think his feet always look hilarious no matter what his position! Check out his back leg- the one he's laying on...  Me: "Attractive Cruizer..."

And yes, that's his incredible armless monkey. He kept pulling off the arms, and I kept resewing them back on, till he ripped them up so badly, there wasn't anything to sew on anymore. He loves it all the same.

Anyways, I'll write more tomorrow with pictures of my backyard!

Have a great night!

Trisha.

So Tired

I have been so tired lately. I haven't slept well for 2 weeks. Last night I slept, but it wasn't enough to catch me up...

And it has been cloudy all day and it sprinkled after dark!

I have a headache today. It started out as pressure around lunchtime, and I have been dragging all day. It feels like I was moving at snail pace today.


I harvested 3 cute strawberries from the garden today and they're so sweet! I planted some more flower seeds along the border in my garden a few days ago, so we'll see if they come up. I sure hope so. I think it will be pretty to look at and hopefully attract bees.

My squash is taking over the garden and blooming and blooming, but I still have yet to see fruit. I still am waiting for the cucumbers... and the watermelon... So much to wait for, but it makes it all the more worthwhile when you finally get to harvest and eat it.

My beans have started their long climb up their Mount Everest and are little by little curling their little fingers around the posts, and climbing. I'm so excited! For some reason I've never dared to put a tower of stakes in my garden before and now am so excited to see them actually use it!

Call me weird I don't care. But to sleep I go I guess...

It just literally started thundering with huge claps of thunder and lightning... We're in for a peaceful night I see...

The dog is whining to go out and bark at it... Maybe my body will be so tired it will just sleep through it all.
 I hope...
Goodnight!
Trisha

Dust storm!!!

We just had another dust storm here! The sky turned orange, It was windy, and it looked dark outside.  I uploaded a video on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w_HrAMQSNE

I guess you can either watch it here or click on the link above it.

Wowsa! I'm giving you more than 1 option! I must be getting used to this computer stuff finally!!!

ANYWAYS, YOU'LL HAVE TO EXCUSE THE DOG'S DISRESPECTFUL AND UNFORGETTABLE AND INEXCUSABLE ACTIONS!

HE PEED ON MY VIDEO!!!!

Oh The Horrors!!!

And to think as I contemplated over if I should just remake the video, the dust started blowing away!!!
Oh well. For your enjoyment! Cause it embarrasses me...

I just learned there's a spell check on here!!! Wonderful news! I'm getting smarter by the second!

Have a good evening!!!
Trisha

feeling more rested today

• this morning my husband decided he was too tired to go to church.

• the dog chased the "chickens" out of the yard. (pigeons)

• Twice.

• Me and my husband walked around the garden and yard; me protecting the plants to save and him spraying weeds.

He can't do it tomarrow cause he has too many appointments and I've been trying to get him to help me for ever! So we finally got it done. It was very easy.

• I made tater tots!

2 recipes!

first one didn't look like tater tots and I didn't like them much, but then I tried another recipe, and MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't really follow the recipe, but used it as an example. I added my own seasonings, left out the cheese, baked the potato in the microwave instead of boiling it...  you get the idea.

They were delicious!!!! We ate them all up, and if you can believe it, my husband thought they needed ketchup! Just cause you eat the store bought ones with ketchup doesn't mean you eat homemade ones with ketchup! But I couldn't convince him. Oh well.

The recipe made 21 and a 1/2. I tried to imitate the storebought shape. (hard to do) They mush all over. maybe that's why you have to boil it???  
Anyways, we ate them all but 1/2 of one. the dog got to sample and he enjoyed it so much, he sat there more excited than usual asking for more. Guess it'll be a double batch next time for sure!

SO, THAT WAS MY DAY!!!!!
How was yours?
Trisha.

1 gallon of milk

I made finnish rice pudding, and custard. Mmmm! I used a whole gallon of milk today! looking at the amounts of each recipe 1 gallon makes, I don't want a cow. thats too much milk! I'll be trying to eat just these recipes before they go bad! Should last a few days in the least!

It was my first time making custard. it turned out.

Whats sad is my moms garden. all dried out. Not much to be done for it but water it and hope it comes back strong enough to grow more food. She lost so many plants. All because the timer stopped working. At least my sister noticed it was parched looking and started watering it maually. Probably saved the rest of the garden.

I ended up getting another headache yesterday. Felt more like bad pressure than pain really. It lasted through the night and partway into the morning today before finally going away... wish I could figure out whats causing them!

I guess I'll have to watch very carefully what I eat for a while to see if I can figure it out! I'm guessing it's either chocolate, corn syrup, or some sort of food preservative!

Help! I can't figure it out!

Anyways, have a great day. My day has been sorta boring and empty and I've been lazing around in my tiredness! I'm even too lazy to just get my camara out and take a picture of my transformed gallon of milk!

But how hard is that? Hold on.... TA -DAAAA!!!!

 Now I've gotta go clean my kitchen! Or else we might have to order pizza cause I won't cook supper in this mess!

Bye! See ya later!
Trisha

Blink Blink

I am trying to wake up. I have been so tired these last 10 days. I had a headache 2 1/2 days of them, and have battling my cramping fingers with the new way of carrying the trays. It's all so I don't get carpel tunneling...

I'm debating whether it's really worth it cause I have totaly crampy fingers to the point I wonder if I have arthritis in them cause they get stiff and hurt to even make a fist. all this all day every day sounds just as good as carpel tunneling dontcha  agree???? I can only hope that after maybe 2 months my fingers will finally be strong enough cause they definately arent after about a month!

So that is new with me. I also just ate a bowl of triple brownie icecream with chocolate chips sprinkled over. MMMMMMM!!!!!

4 DAY WEEKENED!!!! WOOO HOOOO!

can you tell I'm excited??? I plan on resting. if my house gets clean, that'll be a bonus, but I plan on resting. I didn't clean my house during the week cause my head decided to hurt.

I have realized it didn't hurt when I was eating mostly raw, so now what is causeing it???? HELP!!!! I decided to try going back to eating "normal" the last week. 2 1/2 day headache.

Check out this beautiful garden!

 HUGE SQUASH!!!!!!

 Beans  (and grass)

cute strawberries (and grass)

 
 Grass- I mean cantelope and watermelon (now that my 4 day off is here, I'll be anialating the grass)

 CUTE BABY PEPPER PLANT that the rabbits ate, and the birds ate...

 the other pepper plant

 tomatoes with HUGE tomatoes on

 cute cucumbers

 My border of zinnias and sunflowers looks kinda sad, but I promise you, I had about 80% come up and still have to plant more now that I have time this weekened! It also looks horrible cause of the storm blowing crap around, and grass.... Lets just say it will look lovely after I have time to clean up...

 CUTE ROSEMARY PLANT- I go out every once in a while just to smell it... I can't wait till I dare cut off a cute branch to make roman bread...

 My blurry elephant food plant. I promise you it doesn't look like that in real life... see the cute sunflower beside it? I love this plant. It has been one of the only potted plants I have had luck with staying alive without watering for months at a time even through the summers! If you're good at killing plants but want something HARDY, I'll give you a cutting. This plant just SURVIVES! there's even a branch rooting in my garden!!!

 AND LOOK AT THAT GRASS!!!!

 JUST LOOK AT IT! I TELL YOU, THAT'S ALL I DO!!! JUST LOOK AT IT!!!!

 There are a few spots that are thinner, but not bad for a first planting of burmuda and such a late planting!!

Time for fertilizer, and a feirce combat with the weeds! I've been going out every once in a while before work and pulling and pulling till my fingers were sore and almost anialated them from the grass. now to do the opposite in the garden and kill grass!!!!!!! weird how that works out in the end huh??

I am in battle with goatheads mostly. I feel so horrible for anyone who comes over and gets one in their foot! I know I always get them, and I don't enjoy them one bit. I sat outside enjoying our lovely weather this morning, and puppy came up limping on 3 legs, and conveniently stopped and lifted his back leg so I could see a huge picker in his foot. He's getting too used to them! He's efficient at goathead removal time now!!

Makes me feel all the more horrible!

Goatheads, Glass, and Nails. That's how tough my yard is.

Have a great day! I'll be having fun picking my brother up at an airport I've never seen before! A new adventure!!!! Then I get to explore my mom's garden to harvest all the food she's afraid is rotting! Will be fun! I can't wait till my garden is lush! but I know the heat is slowing it down right now cause it did get planted a little late, but I'm impressed still at how it just waters itself! Thanks dad and mom!

So, have a marvelous day and smash as many flies as you can!

Trisha!

AAAAAND, I'm back!

I think this: (yes we shaved him, and yes, he looks totally dorky)

Didn't like the fireworks last night: This is the slider door jam: this is usual for him. He ALWAYS chews on this door. NOTICE THE TINY PILE OF WOODCHIPS?

 BUT THIS IS NEW. THIS IS OUR BRAND NEW LAUNDRY ROOM DOOR:

 NOTICE THE DETAILS HE "CARVED?": Cruiser: "See? it looks rustic and well used now! I softened all the edges!"

 HE EVEN BENT THE PART WHERE YOU PUT THE HANDLE IN: HE TRIED TO BITE IT. GOOD THING THE DOOR WAS MADE OUT OF METAL HUH?

 DO YOU THINK WE CAN JUST GLUE ALL THE PIECES BACK ON???

Oh well. BUT my grass is green! And lush!

 I love just looking at it.

 And looking at it.

And imagining laying on it.
I just love how it looks like little islands of taller grass and the little puddles of water are lakes!

AND MY GARDEN IS GREENER!

Anyways, that all happened this weekened.

How was your July 4th?